Authors » Gerald Thomas

Gerald Thomas

Gerald Thomas is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center of Addictions Research of BC and an Adjunct Professor in Political Science at the University of Victoria. Previously he worked at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse where, among other things, he participated in the development of Canada’s first National Alcohol Strategy. He currently lives in Vancouver and can be contacted at: gthomas@uvic.ca



Articles By Gerald Thomas

A Frank Analysis of Canada's Newest Drug Policy Approach

by Gerald Thomas on July 22, 2009

There is a long standing debate in Canada about whether substance abuse should be treated as primarily a health or enforcement issue. While is ample evidence that alcohol and other drugs play a significant role in crime, the efficacy of “getting tough” with substance-involved offenders is often called into question by critics who suggest that punitive approaches may not be the best way to respond to these problems. The high rates of re-arrest among offenders who are dependent on alcohol or other drugs certainly add credence to this argument. However, does this mean that there is never a legitimate role for coercion when addressing substance-involved crime?

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